The present invention relates to the field of securing a liner to a receptacle or surface.
Flexible liners, such as plastic bags and thin plastic sheets, are used in a variety of applications. For example, plastic bags are used, for many purposes, including lining for receptacles, such as trash cans, to hold the contents disposed there within. The bag is placed in the interior of the receptacle and the top of the bag is folded over the top of the receptacle around its perimeter. Contents are put into the bag and retained within the bag. When the bag is full, it is removed and closed by any one of a variety of means known in the art, such as using twist ties or simply tying the upper portion of the bag into a knot. Then another empty bag is placed into the receptacle to be filled again. This enables the receptacle itself to remain in place and be re-used, whereas each bag, when full, may be transported away.
However, plastic bag liners frequently are pulled downward into the receptacle because of the weight of the contents of the bag or when material tossed into the bag otherwise pulls the liner downward into the receptacle. A variety of means have been employed to prevent this occurrence, including elastic bands and clamps. These, and other prior art methods for retaining the liner, have drawbacks such as cost, difficulty of use and manufacture, and frequently fail to retain the liner in place.
Plastic sheets are also used to cover and protect things, such as when a painter uses a tarp to protect surface from paint. Here too, a reliable means of hanging or otherwise securing the lining material to the surface of an object, such as a wall, for example, is needed. For these and other applications, there is a need for a liner-securing device that overcomes limitations of the prior art.
The present invention provides a liner-securing device that overcomes limitations of the prior art.
The present invention provides a device for securing a liner to a receptacle or surface of an object comprising a set of one or more protrusions and a set of one or more recesses for receiving one or more of the protrusions so that when the liner-securing device is in a closed position at least one of the protrusions is removably secured in a recess. The liner is firmly grasped between the surface of at least one protrusion and a recess. A grasping tab may be provided to facilitate the opening and closing of the device. Further, a handle may be provided to facilitate lifting of an object to which the device of the present invention is attached.
Multiple liner securing devices may be adhered to the surface of an existing receptacle or may be formed integrally with the structure of a receptacle during its manufacture. The liner-securing device may be adhered permanently or removably adhered to a surface to secure a liner to cover a surface as needed.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the disclosure provided herein may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Persons of skill in the art will realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that not all objects attainable by the present invention need be attained in each and every embodiment that falls within the scope of the appended claims.